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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132790">A Visit</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariquar/pseuds/Ariquar'>Ariquar</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Metanoia [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, M/M, ari's family comes to visit him in riverwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:02:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariquar/pseuds/Ariquar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The dragonborn's family visits him in Riverwood after everything is said and done. </p><p>It goes better than he'd hoped.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Male Altmer Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Teldryn Sero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Metanoia [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Visit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>fun fact, ari's house is based on the mod leaf rest, which is by far my favorite house mod!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’d swept through the house three - four? - times already. He’d lit the fireplace, checked it every ten minutes, set about baking bread ( three different loaves, each attempt slightly better than the last but still not perfect ), bought some brandy and put it in his cupboards, cleaned every inch of what he could and still,</p><p>Still, Ariquar knew it wouldn’t be up to his family’s standards. Teldryn had watched him tear through the house in a panic, had offered to help and shrugged when Ariquar answered him in a panicked mumble. So he’d turned and taken down his tapestries to clean outside, to let Ariquar clean away his stress. </p><p>Outside, it was warm, the first warmth of summer pushing through the very edge of spring. The river was rising up to the very edges of the banks, and Teldryn tossed his tapestries over the line he’d hung back up after the ice had melted and Faendal passed by, giving him a quick wave as he headed for the mill. A completely normal day, in all honesty, as Teldryn grabbed the broom he’d carried out to beat the dust from it. </p><p>It was going just fine until he looked over the road and saw three Altmer step off of a carriage, which resulted in him sucking in a quick breath, breathing in a patch of dust, and coughing relentlessly. </p><p>He left the tapestry and hurried inside, seeing Ariquar fuss over the placement of bottles on a shelf beside their fireplace.</p><p>“I think they’re here,” Teldryn said, shutting the door behind him. Ariquar froze, slowly pulled his hands from the shelf, and straightened his back.</p><p>“Okay,” Ariquar said, taking a deep breath. “Do you think - do you think this is going to go alright?”</p><p>“Well, based on how well you’ve cleaned this entire place at least four times - I <em>think </em>everything is going to be fine.”</p><p>Ariquar smiled. A nervous, terrified smile, but a smile nonetheless. Teldryn pulled him down and kissed him, just to relax him for a second. He was pleased when Ariquar leaned down into it, sighing. </p><p>There was a knock at the door. Ariquar jumped, pulled back, and backed toward the door. Before he even touched the door handle, Teldryn gave him an affirmative look, nodding at him.</p><p>Deep breaths, Ariquar thought, and pulled the door open.</p><p>His father stood tallest behind both his mother and his sister, staring over them and into the house. Ariquar’s mother, regal, hair dark and pulled up into a woven bun, looked somewhat more pleased about the situation than Vaelcelmo. And then there was Faewen, who Ariquar hadn’t even known what to expect of, who was standing with her hands in front of her, clasped together as she grinned.</p><p>“Ariquar!” Faewen was the first to speak, stepping inside as he stepped away from the door to let them all in. “Look at you!”</p><p>“Look at <em>you</em>!” He said in return, laughing somewhat - “You - you look just like mother!” </p><p>Faewen laughed, as did Eiramere. Ariquar shut the door behind all of them, and watched nervously as Vaelcelmo began to look around the entry room - which doubled as the kitchen. </p><p>“This is…” Vaelcelmo started, looking everywhere from the fireplace to the stairs leading down, “Rustic.”</p><p>“It’s newly built,” Ariquar said, “Teldryn and I put in a lot for this.”</p><p>“<em>You </em>did this?” Eiramere asked, hand over her chest, delicate. </p><p>“I mean, Teldryn and I - we had help - Teldryn, my husband.” Ariquar explained, and Teldryn stepped up beside him as he waved his hand toward him. Teldryn’s hand settled on his back and his family looked between the two of them.</p><p>“It’s impressive.” Eiramere said, and Ariquar felt himself exhale a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. Teldryn’s hand on his back is steadying.</p><p>“Thank you.” Ariquar said, and looked to Teldryn. “You’ve met my father - this is my mother, Eiramere, and my sister, Faewen.”</p><p>Teldryn, unsure of the correct manners, bowed his head gently and smiled.</p><p>Ariquar spent the next twenty minutes helping them settle in, found them places to put their things, and finally had them all in the sitting room downstairs while Teldryn brought his tapestries back inside to hang them back up. He explained his story - with Alduin, with Miraak, with Teldryn - and his family listened, even though Vaelcelmo had already heard it once.</p><p>Eventually, Vaelcelmo stood to look around the house a bit further and Faewen decided that she wanted to get to know Teldryn a little better - which Teldryn wasn’t sure he was fine with until she cracked a joke and made him snort. At least, Ariquar thought, someone gets along with him.</p><p>And then he was left with just his mother, sitting across from him. </p><p>“I was so scared,” Eiramere began, “That the moment you opened the door, you and Faewen would start fighting.”</p><p>Ariquar laughed, nervous, and rubbed the back of his neck.</p><p>“I think - I think we’re past that, actually.” He said, thinking back on the letters Faewen had sent him, “And I think I, personally, have had enough fighting with her.”</p><p>“You seem like you’ve grown past that sort of thing.” She said. She went quiet for a few moments, mulling over her next words.</p><p>Upstairs, Teldryn laughed at something. </p><p>“I always figured you’d have a husband,” she said, and Ariquar blanked. “Though I expected it to be one of the winemaker’s sons, not…”</p><p>“A refugee from Morrowind?” Ariquar finished for her, and Eiramere raised a brow.</p><p>“A refugee? How <em>old </em>is he?” </p><p>“At least a hundred years older than me? Give or take, of course.” </p><p>“A hundred years,” she repeated, “I’m sure he’s taught you a lot.”</p><p>“He has,” Ariquar said, smiling, “I know you’re probably disappointed that I married him, that I abandoned everything, and…”</p><p>“Ariquar,” she said, firm, and waited until he turned his gaze up to meet hers. “He seems like a good person. I’m not disappointed that you’re happy, or that you broke away from the dominion.”</p><p>He stayed quiet, picking at his fingers. </p><p>“I <em>am </em>disappointed that you broke numerous laws in doing so, started a stir back in Alinor, and ruined some of the family’s standings with the hierarchy, but,” she made sure he didn’t break eye contact. “When your father told us what you did, I started researching this whole legend he mentioned, about these dragons…”</p><p>Ariquar felt the barest hint of a smile coming across his face. There it was - his mother was endlessly curious, endlessly learning. If anyone in his family would find his situation the most interesting, it would be her. </p><p>“I couldn’t be happier with what you did. I couldn’t be happier that we sent you here - if we hadn’t, Ariquar, we wouldn’t be here right now.”</p><p>“And you wouldn’t have found something else to study,” he joked, and felt relief as she laughed.</p><p>“That too,” she said.</p><p>Eventually, Teldryn and Faewen came back downstairs, joining Ariquar and his mother; Vaelcelmo joined as well, settling in after Ariquar helped him find numerous glasses and a bottle of brandy. There was something in his eyes that told Ariquar that he’d come to terms with things. </p><p>Teldryn was right. Things were alright.</p>
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